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I never understood what the appeal of Dvigrad, Croatia was for me. I can't even precisely remember how I got so interested in this pile of rocks and debris, in the first place. I think I remember reading something about it before my first trip to Croatia in 2004. I didn't make it to the ruins that year, being too weak with a cold while in Opatija to make it further west. Upon returning home and later planning for another trip to Croatia, I stumbled across more pictures of the ruins and some history which I think added to the allure a great deal.       So, in 2005, I finally got to see Dvigrad. Naturally, it wasn't this colossal kingdom that was laying in a preserved state as I think I had built it up in my mind. No, it was piles of rock walls that still stood reasonably well despite basically no maintenance to the site. I put up a little gallery of that trip which I need to add more to at some point, since it documents the site at it's worst to date.       It was funny that while we were there, we bumped in to some Italian workers who were striving to preserve the site, or at the very least stop it from crumbling more. After all, the whole town is there on this hill, but in pieces. So, in 2007, on a return trip, I saw the result of their work. A lot of trusses had been put in and the mortar repairs in the stones. It looks a bit different now as you can see in the more recent Dvigrad gallery.       We have ghost towns in the US that are maybe 150 years old at most, but we don't have dead cities like Dvigrad which is over 1,000 years old. Despite this history, it was unsuccessful in living any further, dying out in the 17th century. Yes, I know that there are all kinds of cultures that have ruins that are much older and more impressive, but for some reason, this one I found interesting. There's some kind of a sadness to it, like the crumbling ruins are in a constant state of sighing, waiting for history to swallow them up once and for all.       But, the end might not be as near as it may seem. A plan has been put forth to continue the restoration efforts and as unbelievable as it seems, given the state of the ruins, actually rebuild the whole town. The reason behind it being that it could be a good tourist attraction and museum for the area, which needs some museums badly I might add. Despite all the history that has passed through the area, there is little done to show it. This is most likely the case due to the lands being part of either Venice and then Italy for several centuries until just sixty years ago. Whatever the end result, I do hope that it gets restored and cleared out more. If for no other reason than to allow stupid kids from Zagreb to go freerunning all over it.

Truffles are strange little individuals. They look pretty funky and smell really strongly. Staring at one, you would either think that it came from outer space or a cow.       I haven't tasted the ones in France or Italy, but have recently been introduced to those in Istria in great abundance, where the market seems largely locked up by a one Zigante. Even still at any farmers' market, you'll find people selling them privately or opening up their coat to sell you some black market style because in theory, truffle hunting is supposed to be tightly regulated in Croatia, but countless hoards do it out of the bounds of the government oversight. Just listen for the sounds of dogs (or 'brek' as these type are called in Croatian) roaming the countryside in the fall when they harvest.       As for the taste, it's an acquired flavor. For those living in Europe, not so much, since they've been tasting them most of their lives. I at first didn't care for truffles due to the smell, but once you get that flavor in your mouth, it's true that they are hard to let go of. But, since they seem to be grown many places throughout the world these days, you can taste them as often as you want as long as you're willing to pay. And that's the catch because they could easily plant more trees where the truffles like to grown, but they won't because it would drop the cost of the little buggers.       Some people get crazy about truffles and imbue them with all of these holistic aspects like the fact they're in aphrodisiac. In reality, I doubt any of this and if they cost as much as the common potato, people would think a lot less of them. Still, I do enjoy them and if there is the option on the menu to get a dish with truffles on it, I'll give it a try. I just don't do it all the time, because there is great truth in having too much of a good thing.

I love the A1 road coming from Zagreb out to the coast. That thing is amazing and I took the old road the last year that people had to take the old road, so I do indeed know the difference. Being able to cruise at whatever your car will allow, whether that's 120km (like my effin' Toyota Aygo) or 200km if you happen to have a Porsche and feel like getting friendly with the Croatian police, is some good driving.       There is another artery which is in Istria, called the A8/A9 or, the Istrian Y. The A8 stretch is rather good, despite the fact it is only four lanes intermittently. The A9 is another story. It has maybe 5km or four lanes throughout the whole thing, so passing on it is a nightmare. For most of the trip you're stuck behind old, Dutch or German caravans that put along at 80km. It makes what should be a half hour trip something more like an hour from the border to Pula.       This is an element that I can deal with, since I was driving during high season. It's the fact that the authorities in the area have the balls to actually charge for this that hurts my common sense. There is one toll booth in the middle of it that costs about $3 each way. It doesn't seem like much, but when you're making multiple trips, it adds up. Also, there is the fact that you're taking what feels like a relatively straight country road and being charged for this. The Bay Bridge in San Francisco costs $4 one way and that's a bridge! There was no simple bulldozing to make that happen. They had to span some serious stuff to get that bridge in there and it cost billions to build.       I don't know what's up with the Croatian motorway, but for those set to take it, I think that at certain points the old back roads are faster because you can avoid the caravans. Anyone moving slow on those old roads can be blown by quickly because they're just chasing butterflies.

More than just once or twice, those tricky fellows with MMTPR (the ministry of sea, tourism, transport, and development) have gotten me good. They'll put up a sign somewhere and you'll think, "Why yes, yes, yes, it appears that I need to turn right where this signs says to turn right." Ah, but no. The actual turn may be hundreds of meters ahead and there will be several other turns before it that all seem like potential candidates. Taking one of these, you pump your fist to the heavens and shout, "Curses MMTPR, you have won again!!!"       In time you learn to question the innate sense of turning where a sign says to turn, but then sometimes it happens that those are the correct turns. So, in reality, you can't win and you have to somewhat go with traffic or just get used to double backing. The locals have no issue with this because naturally, they know where everything is in these areas. It's just the tourists who get jammed up and well, I can't blame them for not caring about this, since I wouldn't either.       The one issue where this is a bigger problem is in Pula. When you come off the main road, it's about two kilometers in to the center. It took me an hour to travel this road, so yes, I really could have walked it faster. Was there an accident or the four horsemen of the apocalypse in the center with everyone needing a picture of War (since we all know that War is so much cooler than Antichrist, Injustice and Death)? No, nothing nearly so fantastic. The problem stems from a road sign that is improperly placed. You see, there is a sign that points to the left for the center at an intersection. Except, that this isn't the center, it's a supermarket. So, those unfamiliar with the area turn in there, then immediately realize their mistake and try to turn back out, creating massive congestion at this intersection as they try to continue on to the center. About 200 meters further is the actual turn and it's all gummed up there because of this. I almost fell for it myself, but quickly realized what was happening and got out of it.       This is one incident where the signs affect the locals by screwing up their roads. Of course, once again, they probably know ways around this, since I'm guessing it's been like this for years and based on other spots I've seen like this, it will remain the same for some time to come.

Compared to what generally happens along the coast and especially in Umag, the tourism in Grožnjan seems like it is from another world. We visited this small, Istrian village on a hill several times because it's a wonderful spot that is inviting, warm, and charming. It is all that the coast is not. Sure, you can't tan there, but it's only 15km from the coast, so if that's what you want, go there for the day.       What makes Grožnjan work is most likely the fact that they haven't had tourism explode and that it has grown over time, making the people think about how to make it work and most importantly, how to maintain people visiting them. The town can be packed with people, like we saw in the recent Jazz festival that happens there yearly, but you don't feel it. I don't know how they do it, because the town is tiny with maybe 1,000 people in it at most. The parking lot (which is astoundingly fre to park in) can accommodate a great number of cars, yet you'll still find yourself strolling the streets in relative serenity compared to the cattle crush of Dubrovnik in high season.       But, they aren't just saying, "Here's our town. Come. Buy. Uh... something or just give us money for... something." No, they have cute shops with local art and culinary delicacies that ply to tourists, but at the same time create an economy that isn't based upon renting rooms and waiting tables. If some of these products are good enough, they could even, [gasp!] export them in the off season when tourists aren't there. Yes, that's right, it's a sustainable system that produces products for sale and consumption. It's an incredibly basic concept that has long been ignored on the coast.       I think the most amazing fact is that while I'm sure the tourism ministry of Croatia gives them some money, I credit the people of Grožnjan for creating all of this because they certainly don't get a lot of press to do it. The powers that be seem more interested in promoting places like Hum, and Buzet. Both of these towns are nowhere near as nice as Grožnjan.       I wonder if they people who live in Grožnjan are a bit happy to keep things the way that they are, since it appears that they are all making a decent living there and were pretty happy. There weren't the bitter shopkeepers who would rather spit in your face than sell you a half liter of milk, as we experienced in Savudrija.

As you're coming from the north of Europe in to Istria, you'll see a big pile of cars turn off towards Umag in Croatia. They head there for beach, sun, and sitting around. They are the type of tourists who have been coming to this area for the last 50 years or so and for some reason, the Croatian government finds themselves in a need to promote for more of these people to come during the summer holidays. So, there will be more of them in years to come no doubt.       The end result is that a place like Umag (Umago in Italian) is a pretty revolting place. It's a tiny town that is overrun with people who do nothing but tan and come in search of a cheap destination, which actually isn't there anymore because of an over-development of tourism. It's a smaller version of how I felt that Rovinj has been abused.       But, this is the case in a great number of the Croatian coastal towns, especially those in Istria because they are so close to the borders of the EU. So, it really comes as no surprise that things are like this. The surprise is that Croatia at large seems to want more of this. I know from personal contact with the people living in these towns that they hate this time of year, yet they all seem to go along with renting rooms and taking part in making tourism happen there. When asked why they do this when they don't want these people there, they will usually tell me that they have no choice and they have to take the money because it's all they get. I find this to be lazy, specious reasoning because in reality, yes, the tourists are incredibly trashy and annoying, but at the same time, they are easy cows for the milking, so people go along with it.       The sad truth in this is that the people on the coast are not developing a tourism industry that is sustainable there. It is a boom from June to August and that's it. As a cousin of mine in Zagreb pointed out, "The sea is nice when it's not hot also. It's good air and relaxing." And he's right. People come year round to places in Italy and Spain that are along the coast because they have developed and industry of travel. By doing what the coastal Croats are doing, they are sticking themselves in an ugly pool of very brown Germans and British that they have to cater to. They don't allow for any other kind of industry to build up and they fail to create a travel (as opposed to touristic) industry in the area where the are.       Anyways, Umag is just a small example of a greater problem and one that the Croats will need to deal with soon on a local level, because those at the national level are just seeing all the tax moneys roll in and don't care what happens there.              I apologize for not having the standard picture to accompany the article, but I was so revolted by Umag that I stayed there all of 20 minutes before I had to leave and the scene was so ugly, I wanted no memory of it.

Okay, for those who took me seriously with my article yesterday about Istria joining the EU, let emphasize that that was satire. Crossing the border between these two countries is still annoying and just like everyone had told me, a very long line that backs up for kilometer upon kilometer which you have no choice but to wait for.       The one thing that was true about the previous article is that the technicalities of the border are quite simple. You just flash a couple passports that they don't even look at and that's it; you're in to one country or the other. I found it all quite strange given that the crossing between northern Croatia and Slovenia is much more involved. Therein lies the reason for the article yesterday because it was just weird. But, there is a good reason for it: Croatia done wants them beach tourists.       In the middle of the peak season, it's definitely a pain to get down there. Loads of campers and RV's are trundling their way down the coast in search of a cheap spot to set up and stay for a week or two. Why Croatia wants these tourists so badly has been beyond me for this whole trip other than to say that they want to the easy, quick money that they bring. Naturally, there isn't much money if they aren't staying in a proper hotel or pension, preferring to bring their beat up camper trailer from circa 1974 to sleep in and they buy the cheapest food from the cheapest supermarkets. But, such are the choices of the current Croatian authorities.       So, some tips to avoid the lines:       - Don't cross on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday       - Try to cross in the early morning or better yet, the late night.       - Don't cross on a Monday when Croats may be coming back in after a weekend in Italy or elsewhere and subject to search because they're the only people crossing who have import restrictions.       - Don't drink a lot of liquids before going, because the worst times take an hour or two to go just a few kilometers and while there are plenty of trees, there are no toilets.       - I can't believe I'm saying this, but if you have a motorcycle, use it. I saw these guys blast around me all the time just because they could. And if one or two people aren't in car, it makes the line all that much smaller for the rest of us.       - Find the back roads. The new, main auto cesta is always backed up. The old road may have more curves, but definitely less people at peak times.       - Lastly, make sure you car is tuned up and not going to overheat, because I saw many a weaker car sitting by the side of the road with a bunch of sad faces in the back seat.

It's amazing what sometimes slips past the major news; not only in the US, but also in Europe. It appears that earlier this year, on March 31, at 15:00 PST, Istria joined the European Union. This may not seem like a big deal to many people out there, but in actuality it is for several reasons. For one thing, these announcements are usually quite big and happen at the beginning of the year as was the case in Bulgaria and Romania this year. But it seems that they just sort of slipped this one through for some reason that was as unknown to me as to why they joined only the very western portion of Croatia and not the rest. As far as I had heard, the country was slated to join in 2009, but it appears that wonders will never cease.       There has been precedence for this in the case where only Greek Cyprus joined the EU and not Turkish Cyprus. Even still, I was amazed by this until I talked to some of the locals here who told me that due to the fact that so many people in the area already had Italian and Slovenian citizenship, it just seemed natural to pull the area in to the union and make things simpler. Also, because the region is full of Italians, Germans, Austrians, Slovenes, Czechs, and Dutch who are all part of the union, they felt that it would be in everyone's best interest to extend the EU to cover this area so that those on holiday would still maintain all the protections they enjoyed back home.       This really didn't seem like that sound of a logic to me as it would be like joining California with Canada. I refused to believe it until I went back in to Croatia and found that the border crossing was just like coming in to Croatia. No stamps. No hassle. It was like passing from Italy to France. The only people who were getting bothered were those with Croatian plates, since this new membership for Istria has given it something of a weird border status, seeing as how it is still part of Croatia, but now part of a greater Europe. Thusly, anyone Croatian was suspect for bringing in European goods above the allowable limit and unless they were Istrian, were immediately suspect, just like old times.       All in all, I am very intrigued by all of this and wonder what is going to happen and if this means that EU membership for Croatia is going to be accelerated? More information to follow, I'm sure.